


The Virtues of Cruelty

by JayDick_Hell



Series: JayDick Fic Event [12]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Hurt No Comfort, M/M, Suggestive Themes, Talon!Dick, This entire relationship is a Mess, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-13
Updated: 2018-03-13
Packaged: 2019-03-30 20:34:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13959474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JayDick_Hell/pseuds/JayDick_Hell
Summary: The first time he saw what's become of Dick, he was rocked to the core. Bile coated his tongue at the horror before him. Then, he saw the assassin in action and it was one of the most hellishly beautiful things he'd ever witnessed. He killed like it was an art form and he was its master. Just like that, the spark was returned to him. Jason would keep him if he could.If.





	The Virtues of Cruelty

**Author's Note:**

> #12 of the Fic Event!
> 
> I'm sick and having one hell of a time irl so have some angsty Talon and Jason. Just as a heads up, this relationship is Not Good. They're both mentally fucked up and deep in the dark side. Jason is crazy possessive to the point of literal murder and Talon is, well, _Talon_ which is plenty self-explanatory lmao

_"Cruelty, very far from being a vice, is the first sentiment Nature injects in us all. The infant breaks his toy, bites his nurse's breast, strangles his canary long before he is able to reason; [...] absurd then to maintain cruelty is a consequence of depravity. . . . Cruelty is simply the energy in a man civilization has not yet altogether corrupted: therefore it is a virtue, not a vice." - Marquis de Sade_

Jason was no stranger to cruelty. It was a defining factor in his life, death, and rebirth. It seems he had a way of attracting misfortune and misery to himself. Maybe it was karma for a despicable past life. Or, perhaps it is some form of punishment for a cosmic debt he's yet to pay. Whatever the case may be, Jason Todd suffered tragedies none would believe all before eighteen. But no sort of torture, no beating or mental torment would _ever_ prepare him for the utter pain he willingly put himself through now. Pain inflicted upon him by the one he held most dear.

Dick knew suffering as intimately as a lover. He's shared a bed with tragedy. Flirted with devastation. His body was an elaborate painting of scars - each a story of his own misery and heartache. Yet, he would still smile through the pain, even if it hung a little awkward on his lips and rang a little false in its saccharine sweetness. Until one day, he did not smile. It was stripped of him in those cold, impersonal chambers of the Court. That empathy he was so well-known for was cut from him with surgical precision through the most intense of torture. Richard Grayson lasted remarkably long behind those granite and lime walls but even the mightest of structures eventually crumble under enough pressure. Richard Grayson died in those sewers. _And yet..._

And yet, Jason stared at him every night. Those eyes, a frightful gold gleaming unnaturally in the darkness would stare right back at him. That soulless look never failed to send a shiver of terror down his spine. Still, he stayed near this new Dick Grayson without hesitation. In fact, icy dread would fill him whenever Dick turned toward the window. Jason feared he wouldn't come back. Feared he'd be left alone again. There was no one left for him out there. And this, whatever _this_ was, was as close to his fantasies as he'd ever attain. Closer than he ever dared dream he'd get.

But it was all fake, wasn't it? An elaborate game of make-believe Jason couldn't give up. He clung to their pathetic little play at house like it was a lifeline. No matter how hard he'd try - jokes and gifts and even confessions - there would be no flicker of affection or warmth given to him from the original Boy Wonder. Every touch was arctic, chilling him right to the core. And his _skin._ Dick looked...he looked like a _corpse_ , drained of all life with inky veins sprawling across his body. It was grotesque just to look at but Jason didn't mind. Not fully, anyway. He wanted _Dick_ back but this monster was all that was left. He'd take that. After all, it's only fair for one monster to love another, right?

And love he did. Not even death could strip those intense feelings from him. It left a cruel ache in his chest to see what Dick's become. To know the torture he endured. He mourned for the death of Grayson, but he would not reject this tainted shell of the hero. He was a selfish man who would hoard his delights where he could find them, even if it came in the form of a demon. Dick had always been an object of his desire. Admittedly, he was one of his earliest crushes. It would be downright tragic if he let this opportunity pass him by. The first time he saw what's become of Dick, he was rocked to the core. Bile coated his tongue at the horror before him. Then, he saw the assassin in action and it was one of the most hellishly beautiful things he'd ever witnessed. He killed like it was an art form and he was its master. Just like that, the spark was returned to him. Jason would keep him if he could. _If._

In the end, _he_ seemed to be the one caught by Talon. Oh, how he worked to have the killer stay by his side; worked to appease the beast so he wouldn't be abandoned again. That greedy monster inside of him howled in delight the first time this new Dick Grayson let Jason caress his bare skin. Years of yearning poured out in every ardent press of their bodies. The kiss they shared was just as cold as the rest of Talon; like frostbite to the lips. It almost _hurt_ just how blasé the intimate action was. Like Dick didn't even _care_ that it was happening. Still, it did not dissuade Jason. Dick was broken, just like him. Maybe...maybe Jason could be the one to mend him, if only a little. If only just enough to warm under _his_ touch and no one elses.

Even the thought of another touching the assassin had Jason alight with Lazarus-tinged envy. He took particular pleasure in killing those who spoke lewdly of his lover; be it the passed Nightwing or the current Talon. Wisely, he dared not openly lay claim to the man, not after the first time he tried. It had hardly spilled across his lips when Dick was upon him. The hold on his jaw was so unforgiving, it felt as if the bone would crack in his grip. Jason had writhed at the unexpected shock of pain. There was a look of absolute murder coloring Talon's usually empty features and Jason truly thought he would die in that moment. Never will he forget the way that threat of death was hissed at him should he **ever** claim Dick was his again. So, all comments were left to sour on his tongue. It never did silence that avaricious voice within him that claimed _'mine'_ on repeat.

Sometimes, he'd _hate_ Talon. _Hate_ that indifferent look in his eyes. _Hate_ the fluid way he took a life; both innocent and guilty. _Hate_ how nothing seemed to matter to him. In those moments, he'd try to beat that rage into the man. With fury burning his veins, he'd swing at the assassin. Rarely did a hit ever land. Sometimes, it'd end with Jason holding the man down and fucking that hate away; at least for the moment. Other times, Talon would slam him mercilessly into the wall or floor, jarring his vision and making his head swim. Pain would lance through his body when those claws dug into his flesh. He'd be stripped down brutally by those lethal talons, only ever enough for Dick to get what he wanted from the enraged man. The way those golden eyes would flare with ire was as close to affection as Jason would get to see and it was enough to send him moaning over the edge during their violent affairs.

Bruises, bites, and claw marks were added to the motley collection mapping Jason's skin. He wore those wounds like badges of honor because _Dick Grayson_ was the one to give them to him. The man may no longer be a hero - or really _alive_ for that matter - but it was still _him._ It was the man who'd been the center of his and others desires for so long. The Golden Boy who set the standard for heroes everywhere was with _him_. There was some smugness to be felt when seeing him sprawled naked beneath or above Jason. That pride rarely lasted long. Even in the heat of the moment, when those ocher eyes were closed and limbs shook, his lips still curled back in an almost feral snarl and his skin was still chilling to the touch. Jason would curse desperately, bite down on tender flesh, and fuck harder as if it could draw out the man he once revered. It never worked. No matter how he marked up Dick, the evidence would be gone in mere moments. It was just another sickening reminder that none of this was _right._ Momentary bliss would sink into bittersweet loathing. Jason was greedy and would take this hollowed out version of Dick, but it wasn't the same.

Jason was no stranger to cruelty at all but _nothing_ and _no one_ was crueler than this ghost of love haunting him. He ached for every touch the assassin offered. Openly he'd bare his soul for Dick to tear apart. That pain was worth it because it meant Talon was still here and still wanted him. With trembling lips, Jason would whisper _'I love you'_ like it would change the man. He'd moan it like scripture when wrapped in the endless winter of Dick's embrace. And Dick would just stare with those disimpassioned eyes. No trace of tenderness could be found softening his stony features. _'I know'_ , he'd respond with lips of ice. It would rebreak the heart Jason was so carefully taping back together. Over and over, they would dance this dance. Jason would try to bring some life back to his lover but there was nothing to be found. More pieces of his shattered heart would be lost every time it fell apart. He did not give up. It was insanity to repeat the process and hope for a new result, but he could do nothing else. Even if he got cut open on Dick's sharp edges, he'd always come back for more. It was the sweetest cruelty Jason ever encountered.

**Author's Note:**

> Highkey I have a Talon weakness. I'm _definitely_ writing more Talon fics at some point.


End file.
